Chapter 326 – Gratitude and Assassination

Huaien Ting, a middle-aged man in his thirties, was an unremarkable Apprentice-Level ranger. He had once been an adventurer with some skill, but that was all in the distant past. Now he possessed a more prominent identity—Vice-Consul of the Dragon Roar Kingdom.

Though holding an official consul position, the “vice” prefix made it clear he wasn’t primarily engaged in political affairs. This deputy role largely served as cover for his “certain” activities—operations too sensitive to see the light of day. As the handler of these matters, Huaien had always maintained a low public profile. Should any “unfortunate” incidents occur, this deputy with rather sinister features would invariably be the first to shoulder the blame.

Yet Huaien never complained about this “underground” work.

A nation needs leaves and flowers basking in sunlight, but also roots and mud dwelling in darkness. Huaien loved this kingdom deeply—a land so inclusive it could even grant outsiders a place. His loyalty ran deeper still to “that” Majesty, for everything in this kingdom was bestowed by “that” Majesty. Thus, even if his duties as an “underground consul” brought endless toil without recognition, Huaien had willingly embraced them for ten years as if tasting sweetness.

This appeared to be an ordinary night like any other. Having completed both his public duties and those “unmentionable” private tasks, a contented yet weary Huaien bid farewell to his two guards and began ambling toward his residence at an unhurried pace.

Huaien had always disliked carriages. He believed even with his trace of dragon bloodline, prolonged lack of exercise would weaken his constitution. Moreover, walking allowed him to witness his people’s peaceful lives. He particularly enjoyed watching children play joyfully in the streets—only a peaceful nation could preserve children’s laughter. Of course, there were also the citizens strolling through avenues—under the Majesty’s wise governance, not a single soul had frozen or starved to death in many years. Every face bore ruddy confidence—the anticipation for a brighter future born from hope.

His two guards were thirteenth-level Formal-Level warriors, both meticulous soldiers qualified to serve as city lords in any settlement. This reflected Huaien’s importance as “Vice-Consul.” With two Formal-Level experts as personal guards, even a Master-Level assassin wouldn’t guarantee success.

Walking along the dimly lit path, with his residence’s spire faintly visible in the distance, Huaien set aside his stern facade and said to the warrior on his left:

“I heard White Rock Town is holding a festival today to celebrate the disappearance of the Stormhawks. If I recall correctly… Gelu, your hometown is White Rock Town? No need to escort me further—return home for the celebrations.”

“No, Lord Huaien. His Majesty specifically instructed us to ensure your protection recently. The hometown festival… there will be other opportunities. I thank you for your consideration, sir.”

The fully armored man solemnly declined Huaien’s thoughtful offer.Seeing his subordinate so earnest, Huai’en no longer insisted. He patted the tall warrior’s armor and sighed emotionally:

“Don’t worry, as long as His Majesty is here, this Kingdom will remain peaceful. His Majesty has given all of us a place to call home… He truly is a great king!”

Speaking of “His Majesty,” Huai’en’s face showed deep respect and admiration.

“Yes, it’s precisely because of His Majesty that this nation can thrive and prosper in this flourishing land. It’s hard to imagine how great His Majesty must be, having single-handedly built the Dragon Roar Kingdom from nothing to provide shelter for everyone…”

Looking at the dragon head emblem carved on his chest armor, the warrior named Gelu also expressed heartfelt admiration.

However… The night was as deep as water, bottomless. Unnoticed, the entire street gradually grew quiet.

Before Gelu’s stirred emotions could calm, suddenly, an icy sense of danger, sharp as needles, pierced directly between his eyebrows from the front.

The warrior who had survived countless life-and-death situations on the battlefield felt his hair stand on end. What terrified him most was that this terrifying sense of danger, like a red-hot branding iron, made him want to turn and flee—something he had never experienced even in the most dangerous battlefield situations. In that moment, this battle-hardened warrior instinctively understood the meaning of this feeling: certain death, a one-hit kill.

“Damn!”

There was no time to hesitate. Standing beside Huai’en, he couldn’t dodge in time, and Huai’en, with reaction speed far inferior to a Formal-Level expert, hadn’t yet sensed the danger. This meant the warrior had to withstand the incoming attack head-on.

Without even time to cry out, Gelu instantly ignited his life force, draining all his Battle Aura in an instant to release it before his chest in defense. The earthy yellow earth-attribute Battle Aura at this moment seemed to transform into indestructible, unyielding solid rock, standing firm against all disasters. The reaction speed and determination of a battle-hardened warrior were displayed to the fullest!

“Formal-Level Earth Combat Skill—Solid as a Rock!”

“Formal-Level Warrior Secret Art—Life Burning!”

At this moment, Gelu had only one thought in his mind:

“The enemy is too powerful, I absolutely cannot be instantly killed, I must sound the alarm immediately…”

After maximizing his defense to the greatest extent possible, Gelu used his last bit of strength to open his mouth and prepare to shout loudly, but…

“Master-Level Conjuration Spell—Disintegrate!”

A pale green ray, as thick as a finger, instantly crossed an unknown distance to reach the shield Gelu had created with all his might. But just as the Disintegrate ray was about to make contact with the solidified earth-attribute Battle Aura greatshield, a colorful light membrane suddenly expanded in the tiny gap between the greatshield and the Disintegrate ray.

“Metamagic—Dualcast”

“Master-Level Conjuration Spell—Anywhere Door!”

The Anywhere Door’s entrance opened right behind the warrior, the thin light door instantly expanding almost flush against the warrior’s armor. At this point, one Anywhere Door spell had formed both an entrance and exit, creating two thin colorful light membranes that directly sandwiched warrior Gelu between them.Without the slightest pause or deceleration, the fleeting ray of “Disintegrate” passed unimpeded through the entrance of the Anywhere Door directly in front of Gelu, then instantly emerged from behind the warrior through the door’s exit.

Thus, coordinated with the Anywhere Door, under Gelu’s horrified gaze and the silent shroud of night, the Battle Aura Shield he had poured all his strength into creating proved utterly useless. A scream caught in his throat, stillborn.

By the time Huai’en—who had just snapped alert from his contemplative mood—realized what was happening, the warrior named Gelu had already dissolved, along with his heavy armor, into shimmering emerald powder that scattered with the wind.

(End of Chapter)